This Attorney Ditched His Six-Figure Salary For The Ideal Retirement

When John Berglund was growing up around his father's hardware
shop in Chicago in 1960s, it wasn't the power tools or jingling
cash register that caught his eye.

"I always was impressed when men would walk in with a suit
and tie," said Berglund, now 57. "At that point, I was
chasing the money."

He found it.

After flirting with the idea of a career in chemistry after
college, Berglund traded in his lab coat for a shot in the legal
world. He started out as a county prosecutor and spent some
time as a lobbyist before carving out a niche representing major
trade associations across the country.

For the next two decades, he bounced from one six-figure paycheck
to the next. But it wasn't enough.

In his upcoming book, "A Beach Less
Traveled," Berglund describes the 10-year plan he
hatched to ditch his briefcase and tie for sand, sweat and life
as a small business owner in the Caribbean.

He spoke with BI by phone early this week to discuss the ups and
downs along the way.

The turning point

Courtesy John
Berglund

"I always thought it would be fun –– instead of arguing and
fighting at work –– to be creating something," he
told Business Insider. Fascinated by different
fragrances, the idea to launch his own perfume business began to
form.

All roads were leading him back to the science lab, where he had
abandoned his passion for chemistry so many years before. But he
wanted more than just a change in career.

"We wanted to live and work where people vacationed," he said. As
he and his wife were nearing retirement, and his children were
already on their own, Berglund knew this was his shot to make it
all happen.

They eventually set their sights on St. Martins, a tiny Caribbean
island with a booming tourism market.

It was a painstaking process

To shore up their savings account and finance their new venture
on his own, Berglund continued clocking into his nine-to-five.

"It made it tougher to leave because the money kept getting
better," he said. "We also found creating my formulas for the
perfumes was very expensive."

Berglund "dedicated a large fortune" to set up a temporary
chemistry lab at home, and it was there that he tutored himself,
tinkering with fragrances, devouring books on the subject, and
meeting with industry experts around the world whenever he
could. It was painstaking work. Each new fragrance took at
least a year to develop, he said.

"But we did have the best smelling trash in the neighborhood."

The small business transition

Inside "Tijon," the
couple's perfume shop.Courtesy John
Berglund

With the creative side of the business slowly underway, Berglund
and his wife soon found navigating the business side was no
easier.

"We bought two pieces of property in 2004, one on a corner we'd
convert into a business, and another for our home," he said. "We
totally remodeled them, and as so often happens, it went over
budget significantly."

In fact, they were so far in the red that Berglund was forced to
stay in the U.S. for another two years to generate enough income
to meet their expenses. Taking out a loan was out of the
question.

"We really wanted to be debt-free and not have to answer to
anyone other than ourselves," he explained. In all, they
eventually invested $1 million into the business and their move.

"We didn't make the move until we felt we had everything in
place."

They weren't completely oblivious to the risk they were taking
either. The year was 2007, and the U.S. was spiraling toward a
crippling recession. They were lucky to sell their Dallas home
before the housing market caved.

"We were almost wondering if this was the right move," he said.
"But when we bought property in 2004, we were already committed.
Now there’s no turning back."

"All I own are flip-flops now"

They named their new shop "Tijon" after their son and have been
steadily growing their business in the town. The couple's eldest
daughter is working on opening a second shop in San Diego later
this year.

While Berglund admits some friends and family weren't entirely on
board with their decision, like any good lawyer, he's quick with
a counterargument.

"We sleep in until about 7:30 and walk next door to work. We have
no commute. The weather is always nice," he said. "My suits are
all in storage, and I'll probably never see them again. All I own
are flip flops."